It’s cold, it’s dark and summer seems oh-so-far away. So on this week’s AK, we’ll go Chasing the Sun — from solar-powered homes in Palmer to steamy tropical dancing in Juneau. Plus, the mother of Alaska legend Fred Frontier has been chasing her own “son” — in hopes of getting to the bottom of a mystery. All that and more on AK from APRN.
In the Sun… Sort Of
It’s January in Alaska. That means it’s cold, it’s dark, and no matter how much snow we can play in, wouldn’t you rather be at the beach? AK host Rebecca Sheir sure thinks so. (Song: “Sweet Leilani” performed by New Hawaiian Band from New Hawaiian Band: Hawaii’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1)
The Caribou and The Sun
Juneau storyteller Brett Dillingham tells the tale of a caribou who just can’t seem to keep warm.
Capturing the Sun
Mimi and Will Peabody don’t just chase the sun; they depend on it, since their home is powered by solar energy. Rebecca Sheir visits their house near Lazy Mountain, and speaks with Renewable Energy Systems manager Shawn Clarke, to learn the pros and cons of going solar in Alaska.
- Music Button: “It’s a Sunshine Day” by The Brady Bunch from Man With a Movie Camera
Legislative Sneak Peek
Our team of experts – Gregg Erickson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Legislative Report, Dermot Cole of the Daily News Miner, Kathy Wilson of Juneau’s Driftwood Lodge, and the inimitable Mr. Whitekeys – weigh in on their forecasts and fears about the upcoming Alaska legislative session. (Produced by Jessica Cochran)
- Break: “Here Comes the Sun” performed by British Invasion from The British Invasion Era 1 – Sing Along Sound Tracks
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s 2007 WD5!
Thousands of asteroids orbit the sun. One of them, a 160-footer named “2007 WD5,” might collide with Mars later this month. Rebecca Sheir speaks with Dr. Andy Puckett, the UAA astrophysicist who raised the odds of such a collision happening from 1 in 75 to 1 in 28.
- Music Button: “Space Truckin'” performed by Tesla from Real to Reel
Predicting Sunny Skies
AK’s Scott Burton visits Juneau’s National Weather Service office and speaks with meteorologists Joel Curtis and Tom Ainsworth, to learn the tricks of the weather forecasting trade.
Calendar of Events (Music: “Sunshine Superman” performed by Gabor Szabo, Hal Gordon, Jim Stewart, Jimmy Keltner & Louis Kabok from Bacchanal)
Palmer Hay Flats
Rebecca Sheir speaks with Alaskans For Palmer Hay Flats board president Kris Abshire, about the natural wonder that lies just 30 miles north of Anchorage.
- Break: “House of The Rising Sun” performed by Synthesonic Sounds from The Easy Project – 20 Loungecore Favourites
Chasing the Son
Almost five years ago, Alaskan Fred Frontier took a job teaching English in Taiwan. We know he arrived there, and that he checked into a youth hostel. Then, he vanished. AK’s Ellen Lockyer revisits this international cold case and speaks with his mother, who keeps her son alive in her heart.
300 Villages
Chignik Lagoon
Circle
The Milk Run
Getting to some Alaskan villages can be a little hairy… especially in the winter. The folks at Crab Bait Radio in Petersburg imagined what might happen if airlines started trying to take advantage of that.
Getting Hot Hot Hot in Juneau
Salsa masters Heather Haugland and Antonio Diaz have been teaching Latin dance and organizing Latin concerts in the capital city. But now the couple has moved away, and as John Ryan tells us, some Juneau dancers worry the steamy tropical dance scene will cool off fast.
- Closing: “Walking On Sunshine (Karaoke Version)” performed by The Karaoke Singer from Summer Karaoke, Vol. 1 (Karaoke Version)
